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The ability to meet and interact with the Laureates was an incredible experience. The one aspect of the conference that sticks out in my mind was not the lectures or the morning discussions, but rather talking with the Laureates in a more intimate setting, such as the dinners. It was here that their true personality came out and I felt like I gained an insight into how they accomplished their goals, and what things I could do to achieve similar results.

Out of all of the lectures that I attended, I personally enjoyed the ones by Dr. Chu and Dr. Giaever the most.  Chu's work on using lasers as optical tweezers was fascinating; the idea that you could literally grab a hold of a large biomolecule and manipulate it in 2D was fascinating. Dr. Giaever also provided an interesting look at the most important resource--money--and ways in which to find alternate funding for projects. His humor and ability to communicate with an audience showed throughout his talk, and it was refreshing to know that it is possible to maintain your sanity and sense of humor even after spending years in the lab!

Having been working in Germany prior to the meeting, I unfortunately missed out on the "extended" pre-conference activities in DC. However, the time spent in Lindau with the students, both American and international, was incredible. The best experiences I will take from this conference are linked to the friendships and interactions with other students. It was refreshing to meet others with the same enthusiastic attitude towards their research, and I look forward to seeing everybody again!

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Science proceeds not just through hours of tireless research and investigation, but also through dialogue and communication with others. This meeting was an invaluable experience for me, and the stimulating conversations and ideas that I had while in Lindau have shaped my thinking about my own field in ways which will surely benefit both my understanding and progress in my future research. By having a better understanding and knowledge of areas of physics outside my current interest, I'm better able to tackle future problems and suggest novel solutions when confronted with new phenomena. 

I attended all of the lectures. The most valuable for me was Prof. Laughlin's lecture on Bose Condensates and Black Holes. I've been aware of the problems presented by the event horizon of black holes to all current theories of gravity, but his approach and ideas were truly novel. His manner of tying different areas of physics together to gain a greater understanding of unrelated phenomena is very powerful, and the questions his talk raised were exciting and new.

I attended informal discussions (including the organized small group sessions, dinners and lunches) with Herbert Kroemer, Jack Steinberger, Robert Laughlin, Doug Osheroff, Rudolf Mossbauer, and Bill Phillips. The discussions with the most value for me were the dinner conversations with Osheroff and the lunch conversation with Mossbauer. It was at these times that I got to meet the Laureates at a personal level, where they could talk about interesting physics, their personal experiences with graduate school, their thoughts for the future, and other informal topics. For example, I was able to hear what Mossbauer thought about the strengths of American universities versus German institutions, and his view of the future of particle physics.

Besides meeting and interacting with the Nobel Laureates, the opportunity to discuss everything with other graduate students helped solidify the whole experience. I learned a great deal from the other students in attendance about their work, institutions, ideas, and thoughts on the week's events. These conversations were meaningful to me on both a personal and professional level, and I was extremely happy with the level of intellectual curiosity I found in every other participant.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to really think about physics and interact with great minds for a week. Without the distractions of everyday life to worry about, I feel that I was able to fully absorb the ideas and conversations I came across. This experience will influence my future work in many direct and indirect ways for a long time to come.

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After attending the Nobel lectures and open forums, it occurred to me that it is very important to have versatile skills and knowledge spanning all of the scientific disciplines. The importance of collaborating with scientists from other fields was stressed. 

I was most interested in the lecture by Dr. Gaiever about starting a scientific business.  Ever since my first employment experience, I have been driven to be self-employed, or to have my own business. My interaction with scientists who have started their own businesses has been limited, so it was useful to hear about the process of coming up with marketable ideas, starting the business, and attempting to make it successful.

I had informal discussions with Dr. Brian Josephson, Dr. Mossbauer, Dr. Chu, and Dr. Osheroff. My discussion with Dr. Josephson had the most value for me. I found Dr. Josephson's insights into his work as a graduate student (and work done by students in general) very encouraging. He indicated that in retrospect, he saw much room for improvement in his early publications. He also indicated that with time and experience, his scientific and writing abilities improved. I am hoping for similar improvements in my own work.

Professionally, I met several scientists (both American and European) and was able to exchange information with them regarding my research and my University. I also learned a lot about the kind of work that others are doing at their universities and at the National Labs.

Personally, this trip was a wonderful opportunity to meet students from around the world and to get a sense of their culture. It was my first trip to Germany and was quite enjoyable. The meeting provided an ideal environment for open discussion of current topics in science, and exposed me to many different points-of-view. 

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I suppose that my greatest benefit from this experience is confidence. Meeting the laureates and fellow students from home and abroad helped me to feel like I was part of the international physics community. After talking with the laureates and learning about their experiences I feel more comfortable with my progress towards my Ph.D. and beyond.

I really enjoyed the two meals we shared with the laureates. These gave us the opportunity to learn more about their experiences in and out of physics. 

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to take part in such a unique experience. The laureates represent the pinnacle of my profession and it was an honor to meet those who are recognized by their peers for their excellent work. The students I traveled with and met over in Germany represent my peers and future colleagues. It was refreshing to meet so many other students who share the same experiences and goals that I do. The quality of the students selected for this trip was impressive, I would have to say that the future of physics is in good hands.

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What struck me most was the laureates' interest in what the students were saying to them. Seeing that the laureates found student input valuable and insightful, instead of being aloof and condescending, made me realize that great science can be done by anyone. I felt that if they could find good ideas in the students around them, then any of those students were capable of excellence in their own research.

I attended two afternoons of informal discussions, visiting each of the professors' groups at least once during the two hours. Of course, Profs. Osteroff, Phillips, and Laughlin had engaging presences that made their discussions fun. I also enjoyed listening to Prof. Mossbauer talk about having a famous effect named after him. I also found out from Profs. Mossbauer and Steinburger that it is possible to continue to be interested in new fields of physics all the time.

I would say the most memorable and valuable part of the whole trip were the social activities arranged with the Nobel laureates. Those meetings were fantastic.

I think this is an extremely valuable program for U.S. physicists. Sitting down to lunch with a Nobel laureate and discussing the problems and exciting things of physics was something that I will remember just as fondly as sitting in a German beer garden on a hot afternoon playing cards and having a beer with some other hot, tired and happy grad students.

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